Who Rules?

To the Editor: Who holds the reins of government? Are We the People well read, self-determining, and able to understand what our elected representatives of this democratic republic are doing? No, most people do not even know the names of their “representatives,” nor do they know what’s really going on, and that’s the biggest problem we have! Our Representatives should look for our ideas and input to address the discussions between all parties and represent us. Instead they listen to lobbyists and rich special interests whose greed is destroying our Nation and planet. We the People must be actively involved in order for our representative …

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Whatever Happened to War?

by James A. Haught For millennia, it was considered normal for strong tribes to conquer, pillage and subjugate weaker ones. After Macedonia annexed Ancient Greece, Alexander the Great launched a conquest machine that dominated much of the known world. Soon afterward, the Roman Empire spread via military force as far as the British Isles. Eventually, associated with his desire to gain battle victories, Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. After Islam developed, holy warriors spread the faith into Asia and across North Africa, up into France. Then the Golden Horde of Genghis Khan entered Europe as far as Poland. War became …

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Will You Settle for Returning to Politics as Usual?

It took Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr., Commander-in-Chief #46, only about five weeks to start dropping bombs on other countries. And he’s decided that he’s not going to penalize Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for ordering the brutal murder and dismembering of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. And so I was very quickly reminded of why I voted for Uncle Joe: he’s not Cadet Bone Spur. It isn’t all bad, of course. Biden’s cabinet appointments have been nothing short of historic: a gay secretary of transportation, a Native American secretary of the interior, a Black secretary of defense, a secretary of education who’s actually …

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The Advantages of Being Useless

This essay is about learning how to be useless. As such, it dovetails nicely with a recent piece I wrote on these pages about striving for idleness. I agreed with Mark Taylor’s Buddhist notion that “idleness allows time for the mind to wander to places never before imagined and to return transformed.”⁠1 Being useless, like idleness, is often equated with being old. And, indeed, that is what I am. I spend a lot of time in reverie, which most would call idleness. I have to keep pulling myself back to the present. However, I’m not meditating but practicing what has been called the curse of …

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